Dive Brief:
- The Boring Co.’s Las Vegas Loop has expanded beyond its original path underneath the convention center to connect passengers, via a ride in Tesla Model Ys, to Resorts World Las Vegas.
- Eventually, the Loop project will connect 55 major stops — including several hotels and Allegiant Stadium — along a route below the city, circumventing street level roads with underground tunnels.
- Currently, only convention goers can ride the Teslas between the center and Resorts World, and hours of operation will vary depending on the convention schedule. Curious passengers can take a trip along the Loop without exiting.
Dive Insight:
The Boring Co. has strived to achieve owner Elon Musk’s vision for the future: reducing traffic by providing underground public transit. The company previously indicated it would populate its tunnels with larger vehicles, but the $52 million convention center loop — The Boring Co.’s first commercial project — instead uses Teslas, almost like an underground taxi.
“Our passenger station will make a visit to our resort from the Las Vegas Convention Center easier than ever, and eventually connect us to key destinations throughout the city,” said Scott Sibella, president of Resorts World Las Vegas in a statement shared with Construction Dive.
Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority called the new station “an important step in the development of a game changing transportation solution in Las Vegas.”
In late June, the Las Vegas City Council voted to allow The Boring Co. to tunnel below downtown — though that vote concerned just five stations in that area.
The company previously tunneled the roughly 1-mile path beneath the convention center for rapid transportation at events. The Boring Co. uses a proprietary tunneling machine which it says tunnels much faster and with less noise than older, similar machinery.
